An example of a foot support and abduction assembly can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,878, wherein the foot support and abduction assembly are mounted proximate a leg-foot section of a maternity bed. The foot support is rotatably mounted to an upright support and is rotatable from a first, use position to a second position wherein a leg support mounted on the back of the foot support is deployed to a use position. The upright support is rotatably and slidably mounted to an abductor and is rotatable from the upright, use position to an under-bed stowed position. The abductor is rotatably mounted to the maternity bed. Each movement of one of these elements requires release of a locking mechanism configured to secure the element in a selected position. Each release for a locking mechanism and movement of an element requires a two-handed operation by the attendant.
When the upright support, with attached foot support, is in the under-bed, stowed position, it has been found advantageous to have the sliding connection between the abductor and the upright support unlocked so that the upright support can be moved easily, or will give way if struck by hospital equipment or attendants. The attendant must remember to unlock the sliding mechanism when stowing the upright support.
It would be advantageous to provide integrated locking mechanisms for each element of the foot support and abduction assembly configured for one-handed unlocking and moving of the element by the attendant. It would be further advantageous to provide an automatic unlocking of the upright support sliding mechanism when in the stowed position.